


What Girls Night Can Lead To

by Gemagination



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Fuck Marry Kill, Lemons, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-10 23:55:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20536763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gemagination/pseuds/Gemagination
Summary: Annie plays a game at Girl's Night that has her thinking of Abed in a whole new light.





	1. Girl's Night

**Author's Note:**

> I first wrote this fic in 2013, and it's still on ff.net. I just polished it up a bit to post on here, but it's mostly the same.

"Ok, I'm getting another beer. Annie? Shirley?" Britta said, standing up. The three members of the study group were having a girl’s night at Britta's apartment. They had realized they hadn't been spending as much time together lately, ever since Shirley had her baby and Annie had moved in with the boys.  
  
"Water please," Shirley said sweetly, perched on the edge of Britta’s secondhand leather couch.  
  
"Do you have any more of those hard ciders left?" Annie asked. She didn't handle alcohol too well, but she didn't want Britta to drink alone either. Shirley was adamant that she didn't drink anymore, although she was silent on the reasons why.  
  
The movie's credits were rolling, a bowl of popcorn between them down to just the kernels. While Britta's apartment was small, it still felt cozy. Her blind cat was snoring quietly on Shirley's lap, and Annie stretched out on the floor, a pillow underneath her.  
  
Sometimes it was really nice to just have the girls around, and not worry about anything serious. When Jeff was there, Annie felt like she had to be mature and grown-up. Troy and Abed were fun, but they tended to get wrapped up in their own world and forget to include her; although lately they were getting better at that, especially after she and Abed had their solo session in the Dreamatorium. She smiled to herself, remembering their last Blorgon blasting. They could have a lot of fun together, sometimes.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" Shirley asked, looking at her curiously.  
  
"Hmm?" Annie said, interrupted from her memories.  
  
"You were smiling, I was just wondering if there's something you're thinking about," Shirley fished. She was always looking for new gossip, and Annie was smiling as if she had a secret.  
  
"Nothing!" Annie said, waving her hand. "Just thinking how nice it is to be with you and Britta for a change. Sometimes all the testosterone gets to me, you know?"  
Shirley nodded. "There are just some things you can't talk about in mixed company."  
  
"Ooh, are we getting to the good stuff now?" Britta asked, re-entering the room. She handed out the drinks to her friends and snuggled back into the couch next to Shirley.  
  
"We were just talking about the things we can do without the boys here," Annie explained, opening her cider. It was so sweet, and she hardly tasted the alcohol. She was careful not to drink too much, even though Shirley had promised to drive her home.  
  
"Like what?" Britta asked, before raising her hand to her own question. "Oh! Like Fuck Marry or Kill!"  
  
"Excuse me?" Shirley asked, her voice lowering an octave.  
  
"Oh, er, I guess we can call it 'F', Marry or Kill," Britta retracted. "It's a game."  
  
"I've played it before," Annie said excitedly. "You name three people, and you have to choose whether you'd... you know... do ‘it’ with them, marry them, or kill them."  
  
"I know I'm the only one here who’s had a husband," Shirley said, "But you do know that you can still have sex after you're married, right?"  
  
"It's not that," explained Britta, "It's like, one person you choose just for their body or whatever, the other person who you'd like to spend the rest of your life with, and another person who you'd never want to see again. Annie, give us an example."  
  
"Hmmm, okay," Annie said, thinking about the Pixar movie they just finished. "Prince Eric from the Little Mermaid, Shang from Mulan, or Aladdin?"  
  
Britta rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Princes?"  
  
"They weren't all princes," Annie said, "only Eric. Anyway, you made me go first, and it's hard to think right off the top of my head. Answer the question."  
  
"Fine. I'd fuck Aladdin, because he lied to Jasmine but he's still sexy. I'd kill Eric because he's only in love with Ariel for her looks, and marry Shang because he respects Mulan's strength."  
  
Annie knew she could get in a whole argument with Britta over her choices, but that wasn't the point of the game. Although even she had to admit Aladdin was handsome for a cartoon character. "Ok Britta, now ask Shirley!"  
  
"Shirley!" Britta turned to her friend. "John Cusack in Say Anything, John Cusack in High Fidelity, or John Cusack in Grosse Pointe Blank."  
  
"Well," Shirley said a bit hesitantly, "I suppose I'd marry him in Say Anything, and he is pretty cute in High Fidelity. I haven't seen Gross Blank, so I guess he can die."  
  
The other two women clapped for her, glad she was participating in the game.  
  
"This is fun!" She exclaimed. "My turn? Ok, Annie... Oh, darnit, I can't think of anyone!"  
  
"It doesn't have to be fictional, you know," Britta said. "It could be anyone."  
  
"Hmm," she said, thinking. "Dean Pelton, Todd, or Professor Kane!"  
  
"Oh you're evil!" Britta exclaimed, smiling. "I love it!"  
  
Annie rolled her eyes. "Seriously? You're gonna make me choose between them? Ugh."  
  
"You have to answer, Annie!" Britta said, positively gleeful. Annie swore she would get back at her later.  
  
"And to think, I was so nice to you!" Annie sighed. "I would... marry Professor Kane, since it would be neat to be married to a teacher. You would learn so much!"  
  
Britta groaned. "Annie, only you would think that."  
  
"I suppose, if you're making me choose, I'd rather have sex with practically anyone than Todd, so there's my answer." Annie finished her sentence in a rush, face flaming with embarrassment.  
  
The girls played a few more rounds, getting sillier and sillier. Shirley revealed her bizarre choice of Richard Nixon over President Kennedy, while Britta surprised no one by marrying Che Guevara.  
  
Finally, it was Shirley's turn to ask Annie. "I can't think of any more famous people," she said. "How about... Jeff, Abed, or Troy?"  
  
Annie gasped. "Shirley! I can't choose between them! They're my friends."  
  
"Oh, you're right," Shirley said, sounding disappointed. "I guess we knew who you'd choose anyway."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Annie asked.  
  
"Well, obviously you wouldn't kill Jeff. So, would you rather marry or have sex with Jeff?"  
  
"Hold on," Britta interrupted. "Annie lives with Troy and Abed now. And she used to have a crush on Troy!" She smiled, looking pleased with herself.  
  
"Yes!" Shirley agreed. "So I guess the real question is, would you marry Jeff or Troy?"  
  
Annie frowned and crossed her arms. "This is wrong, you guys. I won't talk about our friends this way."  
  
"Fine," Britta grumbled. "Have it your way. Who wants to play Bananagrams?"  
  


An hour later, Annie was riding in Shirley's car, Christian pop music playing softly in the background. Shirley had a pleasant voice, and was more engrossed in singing than making small talk with her passenger.  
  
Annie felt a bit sleepy, but not too drunk. She was content to rest her head against the seat and think about her night with the girls.  
They had been so sure of her choice in the game. But when she thought about it, she didn't really know who she would pick. Obviously, she wouldn't want to kill any of her friends. That just left who would she want to marry?  
While she had certainly entertained feelings for Jeff in the past, she wouldn't want to be married to him how he was now. He had too much emotional baggage to overcome, and she was trying to be better at not needing to change people. Annie realized that she perhaps could marry the man he may become someday, but as of now he was all wrong for her.  
So would she choose the 'F' option for Jeff? Surprisingly, she realized her answer was no. Just knowing that he had already had meaningless sex with several women she knew, Britta included, made her unwilling to go there with him. To Annie, sex was still a magical, special thing that you shared with someone you loved. She couldn't see Jeff taking her romantic ideals seriously.  
Then would that leave Troy? Annie wrinkled her nose at the idea. Although Troy was now one of her best friends, her crush on him had come from a place of insecurity. When she was in high school, Troy represented everything she wanted; good looks, popularity, success. She had felt as if she could taste some of that if only he would want to be with her. No, Troy was out of the picture as well.  
  
That just left Abed. It was kind of funny how Britta and Shirley didn't even consider him to be on her list. They just assumed that Annie would choose to kill him off and go for Jeff or Troy. Then again, she doubted any of them had kissed him like she had!  
What would Abed be like to marry? Or even in bed?  
Annie blushed at the thought. She couldn't think of Abed like that! He was her friend... and more than that, he was innocent...  
  
But was he really? Maybe he was just focused on other things. He watched movies and TV shows with adult themes... and the way he could turn on the charm and kiss! No, Annie didn't think Abed was as innocent as everyone claimed he was. She distinctly remembered a grown-up bulge in his pants during paintball.  
  
Now that she thought about it, her interactions with Abed had been more sexually charged than any other member of the study group, but because he was just Abed- strange, innocent Abed- she had brushed off those moments as no more than play-acting.  
  
Before she knew it, Annie was remembering their kiss in paintball, and wondering just how much more Abed knew how to do. Would he bring that same passion into lovemaking? She thought of his intense dark eyes, and how strong his hands were when they were wrapped around her waist...  
  
"Annie!" Shirley's voice interrupted her thoughts, and Annie realized she was breathing faster than normal. They had arrived at her apartment and her friend was looking at her expectantly. "Do you want me to walk up with you?"  
  
"Uh, no, thank you," she said politely, a little unnerved at how far away she had been. "Thanks for driving me home! I had a lot of fun tonight."  
  
"It was nice, wasn't it?" Shirley smiled back at her before driving away into the night.  
  
Annie shook herself, trying to get back into reality. Still, she felt as if she were in a daze as she climbed the stairs to the apartment.  
  
Opening the door, she saw her two boys in front of the TV, an episode of Inspector Spacetime playing quietly.  
  
Abed lifted his head at the sound of her entry, raised a finger to his lips, and pointed to Troy, who was sound asleep in his recliner.  
  
Annie nodded with a fond smile. She really did love living here. Walking over to them, she bent to say a quiet goodnight to Abed. As her mouth reached his ear, he turned his face, their lips an inch apart.  
  
Without thinking, Annie dropped a quick kiss to his soft lips, and murmured "Goodnight, Abed."  
  
Turning around, Annie retreated quietly to her bedroom. It had been a much more chaste kiss than the one they shared in paintball, and she did kiss her friends on the cheek pretty often.  
  
Still, she wondered how much sleep she was going to get tonight. Gazing up at her ceiling, Annie cursed Britta and Shirley for putting these visions of Abed in her head.

****

It had been over two hours of laying in her pink bedroom, staring at the ceiling. Troy and Abed had made their usual getting ready for bed noises long ago, and the apartment had settled into a deep silence.  
  
Insomnia wasn't an infrequent visitor to Annie's life, but tonight felt a bit different. She didn't have a test on her mind, or any sort of personal dilemmas. Usually she'd read a bit of her favorite novel until her eyes felt heavy.  
She tried, but instead of the words taking her away, her mind kept returning to the game she had played with the girls- and her thoughts of Abed. Annie had always been curious. In fact, it was one of the reasons she loved school so much. Now, her curiosity was turned towards Abed, and his lips.  
She already knew what kind of kisser Abed was- or at least, she thought she knew. He had been pretending to be Han Solo at the time, but would he be any different if he were himself?  
If so, what would it be like? Maybe he'd be a little slower than Han, take his time feeling her lips with his before using his tongue. He'd probably rest his hand against her cheek rather than gripping her waist, and she'd feel his warm breath on her skin. Han had been forceful, stirring a fire in her immediately. Perhaps Abed would cause a slow burn, starting in her stomach and spreading throughout her entire body...  
  
As Annie continued her musings, she felt her own body begin to flush in a familiar feeling of arousal. She had always been ridiculously easy to turn on, something that had seriously embarrassed her when she was dating her closeted high-school boyfriend. Trying to be an independent, grown-up woman, she had visited Dildopolis to learn how to "Do It Yourself".  
Unfortunately, the minute she stepped inside her face turned bright red with embarrassment. Her sunglasses and low-hanging hat didn't help disguise her discomfort, and she ran out with the first three vibrators she saw; an expensive "Magic Wand", a teeny tiny "bullet", and a strange rubber dildo with a rabbit on one end. When she saw on google what the rabbit was for, she threw it in the trash, too embarrassed to even keep it in her nightstand.  
  
Since then, Annie had become a quick study, and was pretty adept at giving herself what she wanted. Usually, it involved vague fantasies and a lot of help from her electronic friends. Turning on a fan to cancel out her toy's buzzing, Annie chose her trusty Magic Wand to help her out.  
With one hand holding the wand against her center, Annie tried to think of one of her favorite fantasies; the one with the pirate and the busty waitress, or a scene from The Notebook. Her other hand rubbed alongside her breast, just brushing against the cotton of her tank top. Pulling the hem upwards until her nipples were exposed to the cool air, Annie rolled one pink bud between her fingers.  
  
Before she knew it, her vision of Allie and Noah had quickly turned into Annie and Abed; his long fingers were the ones really caressing her tender skin, his tongue vibrating against her core. A fleeting thought surfaced that this was wrong, she shouldn't be fantasizing about her friend like this; but she was so turned on, she pushed it away. It was just a fantasy, right?  
The thought of Abed's dark hair between her legs made Annie gasp quietly, and she thrust her hips up harder against the vibration of the wand. Her whole body was warm now, and a light sweat was covering her body. She removed her shirt altogether, and grasped her breast more forcefully. She wondered how it would feel, to be writhing underneath Abed's weight, their skin touching.  
  
The ache inside her grew, until she had to abandon the wand altogether; usually it was enough to do the job, but tonight she needed more. Shoving her panties further down, Annie thrust a finger deep into her soaking pussy, sighing with need. She could imagine Abed's long delicate fingers stroking inside her, finding just the right spot. Plucking at her nipples desperately, Annie thrashed on her bed. She imagined Abed adding another finger, and sucking on her clit with just the right amount of pressure.  
The image of his eyes, so intense and dark, swam before her mind, and she shuddered around her own fingers, releasing her into a wild climax.  
Panting, Annie brushed her hair back from her face. It had been one of the most intense orgasms of her life, solo or otherwise. And all just from thinking about her friend Abed! What was going on?  
  
_Maybe I'm at that part of my cycle that makes me super horny,_ she thought. Still, she couldn't remember ever feeling that turned on just from a fantasy, no matter what time of the month it was.  
  
Feeling a bit embarrassed now that the heat of the moment was over, Annie got up and pulled on her bathrobe. She had read about how important it was to properly clean your 'toys', and anyway, she wanted to wash her hands. For some reason, fingering herself always felt more sexual than using a vibrator, and she rarely did it. But tonight, she had felt that urgent need to have something physically inside of her, to complete her orgasm. Maybe she should go back to Dildopolis...  
  
_Or maybe I should get a boyfriend,_ Annie thought, smiling ruefully.  
  
Her trip to the bathroom was quick and silent. The wand was replaced in her nightstand, and Annie settled back under the covers. Her body felt content and relaxed, and it wasn't long before she was sleeping soundly, a small smile on her lips.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
The next morning, Annie slept in later than usual. Her girl's night had lasted until the early hours of the morning, and her late-night fantasies had taken a while too.  
It was a bit late for cereal; 11:00 was more of a brunch time, but Annie didn't care. She padded into the kitchen, noticing Troy was settled back into his recliner, a comic book in front of his face.  
  
"Morning, Troy!" She chirped brightly. "Where's Abed?"  
  
"Bathroom," Troy offered. He wasn't very chatty when he was engrossed, and it looked like he was pretty deep into _ Batman: The New 52s._  
  
Getting out a bowl, Annie filled it with milk. Her mom had always taught her cereal goes first, but since living with Troy and Abed she had switched to their way. She was surprised to find that it really did make a difference.  
Annie searched the cupboard for her choices. Their grocery trip had been last week, and Annie had been feeling particularly responsible. While Troy and Abed picked out the cereals with the coolest mascots, she relied on fiber content and doctor recommendations. That meant this morning, she really should do as she planned. She poured a few tablespoons of the brown flakes into her bowl, and frowned.  
It just looked so... plain. And boring.  
  
"Here," she heard Abed say. He was standing right behind her, and reached up into the cupboard. "Have some Fruity-Os." Pulling out the brightly colored box, Abed handed it to her.  
  
The kitchen was pretty cramped, and Annie found herself flustered at their proximity. He was so warm, and she could smell his aftershave. Or maybe it was his shampoo? Taking the cereal, Annie stepped back.  
  
"Thanks," she said, trying to keep her voice in a normal tone. This is why you don't think of your friends when you masturbate! Annie scolded herself. Or why they're off limits in FMK games! "But I really should try to eat healthier."  
  
Abed stepped closer, staring intently at the side of the box. "Fruity-Os is fortified," he said, pointing. "See? The same amount of vitamins and minerals as yours. Plus, it doesn't taste like cardboard."  
  
Annie smiled despite herself, and poured a generous helping into her bowl.  
  
Abed nodded approvingly, and set up his own breakfast. The two walked back into the living room, where Troy put down his comic.  
  
"Second breakfast?" He asked, a hopeful look on his face.  
  
"Second breakfast," Abed replied in his best Pippin impression. Troy attempted to do their handshake, but realized it was impossible with Abed’s hands full. Instead, he retreated to the kitchen to get his own.  
  
Abed took a seat in his usual recliner, while Annie settled onto the beanbag chair they had bought for her. Smiling, she took a big bite as Abed turned on the TV.  
  
"Any major plot changes happen last night?"  
  
Annie nearly choked on her cereal. "Uh, no, nothing happened. Why do you ask?"  
  
Abed eyed her carefully, and Annie felt her cheeks turn pink. There is no way he knows, she reminded herself.

"Just thought it would be interesting. I think old-school Saturday morning cartoons are still on," he said, turning his attention back to the TV.  
It took a minute for Annie to tear her eyes away from him, but she soon lost herself laughing at the antics of the Recess kids. Eating her bright sugary cereal, Annie sighed contentedly. She was so happy she lived in apartment 303. It was nothing like how she thought her life would be- and yet, she didn't want to change a thing. Sometimes she thought she could spend the rest of her life just like this.  
  
The rest of her life? Annie's mind drifted back to the game from the night before, and who exactly she'd choose to marry. Jeff was out- although he was a good friend, she would go crazy if she ever had to live with him. Troy would be pretty fun to be married to, she thought. But it was hard to imagine having the kind of adventures they had without Abed. When she was alone with Troy, they talked and had fun, but all of her favorite Troy memories involved Abed too.  
  
It made her wonder... what would it be like to be married to Abed? He'd encourage her to eat what she wanted, rather than what she should. He would be enthusiastic and excited about something new each day, and they would go on adventures together. She'd still get to see all her friends, because they were his friends too. Plus, he appreciated the cinematic value of The Notebook, which is not something she found in a lot of men.  
  
It wouldn't be all pleasant, she was sure. He'd have his breakdowns during daylight saving's time and Christmas, and it might be hard for him to keep a steady job for too long. But Annie already knew how to calm him down after that, and anyway, she liked being needed.  
  
So did that mean she'd put Abed in the marry category? Blushing, Annie realized she'd probably put him in both the F and M column. That wasn't technically allowed in the game, but so what? This was her own daydream.  
  
Troy rejoined them in his own seat, and Annie let her mind wander into a daydream about being Mrs. Nadir.


	2. Privacy, Please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick peek into Abed's mind, and then it's back to school

It had been a few months since Annie had moved in him and Troy, and Abed thought things were going well. He had had been worried about the transition, but it turned out there wasn't much to fear. True, it had been his idea for her to move in with them- at their housewarming party, he had been swept up in the fun of having a group of people in his home that loved him. Seeing Annie's bright blue eyes looking at him so happily had inspired the invitation, without even consulting Troy.

Annie's eyes had always appealed to Abed. The first time he realized it, it terrified him. In their first year of college, Abed had been so confident that human emotions didn't manipulate him. When Jeff warned them all to close their eyes against Annie's tears, Abed initially refused. What did he have to fear? Real life didn't affect him like it did the others... and yet, when he caught her gaze, his words stopped. Only Jeff referencing the Indiana Jones villain kept him from getting lost in her blue depths. For some reason, when Britta cried or was upset, he found it interesting and curious- when Shirley was sad, it was strangely vindicating. But when Annie's eyes filled with tears, it made Abed's chest tight, and he tried to do anything he could to stop it.

Since Annie moved in, there was little that Abed could refuse her. When he had seen how upset she was about the Dreamatorium, it had been his idea to make the blanket fort his and Troy's space, and give her the bedroom. He didn't really mind too much- Troy was his best friend, and forts were way cooler than bedrooms anyway. Plus, it meant he could keep the Dreamatorium.

Annie was a great roommate. She always paid her share of the rent on time, and she showed him that if you pre-make Special Drink the night before, it gets extra cold and extra good. They had a talk about throwing out his food, and she had been respecting it lately. She didn't talk through his movies, but didn't complain when he did. And although the Dreamatorium had really been meant for two, somehow it still worked when she joined him and Troy in their adventures.

However, there were some days when it really sucked having a third roommate. Mostly, in the mornings when Abed woke up with wood. He and Troy had both been only children, and never really had to deal with sharing a bedroom. Since puberty hit, Abed had rarely gone more than two days without masturbating, and he assumed it was the same for Troy. Within days of moving in together, Troy had walked in on him, and vice-versa. Abed tried talking to him about it, but Troy would get up and leave the room any time the subject was brought up. It seemed only logical to come up with some sort of schedule where they could have privacy, but Troy wouldn't let him discuss it. Abed didn't completely understand why- after all, it was something they both did. Why was it so hard to acknowledge?

Eventually they had found an unspoken routine where one of them would be in the bedroom with the door closed, and the other knew not to come in. But ever since he gave Annie the bedroom, the Masturbation Dilemma had been restarted all over again.

So far, Abed had been making do with getting in a quick private session whenever his two roommates were absent, or just going without. Sure, it wasn't ideal, but he didn't want to have a Friends situation where they walked in on each other and everything became uncomfortable.

This particular morning, Abed was slowly waking from a lovely dream. His body was warm and relaxed under the covers, and a good happy feeling was running through his veins. As waking life came fuzzily back to him, he tried to hold onto images from the dream: large blue eyes, a pink mouth, and lots of warmth. A particularly loud snore from the bunk below him caused Abed to open his eyes; looking down, he noticed one of the hardest erections he'd had in a long while. Holding in a frustrated noise, Abed decided to do something about it. It had been five days since he'd had any alone time, and the feelings from the dream were just too fresh in his mind.

Quietly lowering himself from the bunk, Abed snuck out of the blanket fort without waking Troy. The living room was silent, and Abed assumed his other roommate was still sleeping- perfect, it gave him plenty of time to use the bathroom without interruption.

Turning on the hot water, Abed pulled off his pajama set and waited for the water to become hot. He stepped into the shower and let the stream massage his back. Hard and standing straight up, his dick was still waiting for attention. Yep, it was definitely not going away on his own.

Taking himself in hand, Abed let his mind drift back to his dream. He had been lying on his back in his bed, with a soft warm girl kneeling cozily between his legs. He could almost hear a soft giggle as delicate hands stroked him, teasing and curious. Closing his eyes now, Abed tried to remember the sleepy details- a pink tongue tracing the tip of his dick, nipples brushing against his thighs- he threw his head back in pleasure. Fuck, it felt good. It had felt so wet and warm, like the water from the shower that now pelted him in a steady stream.

In his life, Abed had only been with a few women, and it had been a very long time since anyone had used their mouth on him. Yet the dream had been so vivid, and the sensation quickly returned to him. Soon his fist was pumping quickly, the image of a brunette head of hair bobbing up and down, focused on him almost zealously. Trying to remember the face of his dream girl, Abed squeezed his eyes closed even tighter, and gasped when two familiar eyes gazed back up at him, filled with lust and intensity.

Had it really been his friend Annie that he had been dreaming about? Abed paused in his ministrations for a minute, trying to figure out what to do.

On one hand, he didn't think Annie would like it if she knew he had been thinking of her in the shower... on the other hand, he didn't have to tell her. Besides, Abed knew the difference between fantasy and reality. He was sure the other men in their group all had fantasies about her at one time or another, and besides- at least he knew what it was like to kiss her, and have her look up at him with passion and longing. He had held her once, pressed tight against him, breasts straining out of her bustier. It was one of his favorite memories, acting out a classic hero scenario. Annie hadn't seemed to mind too much then, anyway.

Satisfied that he wasn't doing anything wrong, Abed returned to the task at hand. Usually when Abed ran fantasies in the Dreamatorium, he accounted for pragmatics, realistic scenarios, and made sure that everyone stayed in character. For his erotic fantasies, the storyline was usually completely made-up, as it was too complicated to get into a scenario where someone he knew would be involved.

In order to get into a situation where Annie would be in his bed, Abed would have had to come up with a realistic story line that probably would take months to develop. Instead, Abed decided to go along with his dream sequence, which didn't have to follow any rules or character traits.

For once, he let go of the plot and dialogue, and thought about what it would be like to have Annie covering his body with kisses, feeling her way down to the part of his body that wanted her most. Her long hair would tickle his stomach, and his muscles would clench in anticipation. She was such a good student, and would surely excel at this the same way she did in her classes. She'd listen to his moans and monitor his reactions, adjusting her hands and mouth to find just the right way to please him. He'd watch her lovely ass bounce as her speed increased, knowing he was close. Abed stroked himself, trying to imagine his hand was Annie's wonderful mouth.  
  
Having gone so long without it, Abed didn't last long. His hand moved faster and faster until his dick was spasming in his grasp, and shot out a stream of cum onto the tub's floor. His ears rung with the intensity, and he rested his head against the wall. It took a few minutes for his breathing to slow down to normal, and even then he still felt as if he was in a hazy cloud.  
Compared to his usual fantasies, this one had been pretty simple. There hadn't even been any costume changes or soundtracks! And yet Abed found himself unable to let go of the image of his friend, looking up at him, his dick in her mouth, so focused on making him happy.  
  
Abed decided to stay in the shower a bit longer than usual, trying to get his head back in order. Like he said, he knew the difference between reality and fantasy- and yet, he was having a hard time forcing himself back into the real world.  
  
Finally stepping out of the water and toweling off, Abed reminded himself that Annie was his friend, and his time in the shower had been pure fantasy. It wasn't in Annie's nature to fall for him; she went for the heroes, like Batman or Han Solo. And it wasn't his nature to fall for her either; he was meant for someone like Robin- distant, practical, and serious.  
  
What was it about Annie that made him forget his carefully constructed narrative? Ark of the Covenant, he reminded himself with a grin. Maybe they'd watch Indiana Jones today...

The weekend had been spent with movie marathons and Dreamatorium adventures, and Abed was reluctant to go back to school. He woke before his and Troy's alarm clock went off, and decided to get up anyway. Usually he liked to lay in bed for a while, but there were some notes he wanted to go over before film class this morning.  
  
Abed couldn't hear anything from the living room, yet he assumed Annie was already awake. She usually rose an hour before him anyway, showered, then returned to her room to prep for class. She was very concerned about waking him and Troy, and tried to keep as quiet as possible before their alarm went off.  
  
Carrying the day's clothes under his harm, Abed tiptoed through the quiet living room to the bathroom. He liked using the shower after Annie. The mirror was still foggy, the water was hot, and the steamy air still smelled of her shampoos. When he showered after Troy, it was a completely different olfactory experience, and not usually a pleasant one.  
  
This morning he sped through his routine quickly, trying not to get distracted by thoughts of the last time was in there. Abed still wasn't sure how he should feel about fantasizing about his friend like that. He didn't feel guilty or awkward around her, but he still wondered if he should. It was like when he charted the girls' periods- he hadn't thought he was doing anything wrong, but he still knew to hide it from them.  
  
Dressed and ready for his Monday, Abed pressed a Pop-Tart into the toaster. He heard the radio sound from the blanket fort, followed by a groan from Troy. His best friend usually took a while to get out of bed, so Abed settled down with his breakfast and read through his notes.  
  
A minute later, Annie emerged from her room, hair perfectly pinned back and ready to go.  
  
"Oh!" She let out a surprised huff. "Abed, I didn't realize you were awake. I just heard your alarm..."  
  
"That was Troy," Abed replied. "I had to work on some stuff before school."  
  
She nodded, and began gathering her books off the table and loaded them into her backpack. "I'm actually going to school a bit early today, Britta and Shirley wanted to meet for breakfast."  
  
"Cool. You three have been hanging out a lot lately. Girl's Nights, now you have a Breakfast Club." Abed was still looking down at his notes, but he was focused on her words. He remembered a time when he was included as 'one of the girls', and sometimes he missed it. Troy was his best friend, but he always felt extra special when the women of the group appreciated his company.  
  
"Well, Shirley's trying to get out more now that Andre can stay home with Ben, and you know how Britta is with other women. Don't worry, though, I was gonna leave you two my car, and I'll just take the bus in."  
  
Abed nodded to her. He wasn't sure if this was the sort of situation where he was supposed to be polite and let her take the car, but he really did prefer driving. And she wouldn't offer if she didn't mean it, right? "Thanks," he said, remembering his social cues.  
  
"Abed," Annie said in her hesitant voice.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
There was a long pause, as if she was thinking hard about what she was going to say. "Is that all you're eating for breakfast? Just a pop-tart?"  
  
"It's not just a pop-tart. It's a fruit-filled toaster pastry with frosting and sprinkles."  
  
She looked like she was about to lecture him, but seemed to decide against it. "Well, since you're up anyway, do you want to come along? If you have homework to do, you could go to the library. It's really quiet in the mornings."  
  
Abed thought about her offer. "Sure," he said, "Only, can we take your car? And stop at the new drive-thru, Java The Hut? I heard they have something called the 'Mythical Mocha'."  
"Okay, but you're telling Troy that he has to take the bus."  
  
Abed leaped from his chair and strapped his messenger bag across his chest. "Cool. Cool cool cool."  
  
  
***  
  
_Don't you... forget about me!_  
Annie was still humming along as she made her way to the cafeteria. Abed had insisted on playing his special 80's mix-tape on the way to school. She smiled, remembering how he thought it was 'neat' that she still had a tape deck in her car. Sometimes, the way he saw the world made everything better. At the coffee stand, he had ordered a 20 ounce Mythical Mocha, 'with 0% espresso'. The barista had looked at him funny, but Annie respected that he knew what he wanted and wasn't afraid to ask for it. He had inspired her to order a "Legendary Latte", with extra cinnamon on top.  
  
Britta and Shirley were already sitting at their usual table, so Annie went straight to the cafeteria counter. The stop at the drive-through had only taken a few minutes, and the coffee there really was much better than Greendale's. Ordering fruit and a bagel, she joined her friends.  
  
"Good morning!" Shirley greeted her with a smile. She had a veggie omelet in front of her, along with a Hot & Brown coffee. She eyed Annie's half-empty coffee cup with suspicion, but didn't say anything.  
  
"Morning!" Annie chirped back.  
  
"Ugh," Britta groaned, her head inches from her yogurt. "You both are way too eager for a Monday morning."  
  
"It was your idea to meet!" Shirley protested.  
  
"Yeah well, I read this article about the power of women's groups, and thought it would be good to get together without the guys here. The morning seems to be the only time they're not around."  
  
"Oh please," Shirley teased. "You wanted it to be just us so that we could gossip about the boys some more!"  
  
"Shhh!" Annie admonished. "If they found out about that game, we'd never hear the end of it. Besides, I still don't think it was right to talk about them that way."  
  
"C'mon," Britta said, stirring more stevia into her black coffee. "You live with two of them. Don't tell me you never think about Troy in the middle of the night."  
  
"I don't!" Annie insisted. She could feel her face turning bright red, even though it was the truth. She didn't think about Troy! Her other roommate, however... "Troy is my friend. I may have had a brief..." she searched for the right word, "infatuation with him, but that was a year and a half ago!"  
  
"Yeah, and now you sleep just feet away from him. Isn't that convenient?"  
  
"Leave her alone, Britta," Shirley said, mock-sternly. "The poor girl has to share a bathroom with those ridiculous boys, that's punishment enough."  
  
The three of them erupted into giggles, and moved on to discussing their weekends.  
  
While Britta described a lecture she went to on Sunday, Annie wondered why her friends only asked about Troy, and seemed to again forget about Abed. She truly didn't understand why they never remembered that he was male! It had been one of the reasons she hadn't invited him to breakfast this morning. She knew the group had a tendency to treat Abed as "one of the girls", and she wasn't sure how he felt about that. Was he insulted, or was he just glad to be included?  
  
Unfortunately for Annie, she was unable to forget that he was male. Ever since Friday night, she couldn't stop thinking about him in that way! Okay, so she had thought about his 'maleness' ever since their first year, but for the past few days it had been a constant thought. And it didn't help that she knew what it was like to kiss him. Her face flushed, as she realized she had kissed two out of the four men in the study group. What was she becoming?  
  
She tried to reassure herself that Britta had kissed Jeff and Troy too, so it wasn't like she was the only hussy of the study group. She wondered if Britta and Abed had ever kissed, and a little flare of jealousy rose inside her. Britta had better stay away from him- Annie was sure that the blonde woman wouldn't know how to appreciate someone as special as Abed.  
  
"Annie?" She realized Shirley and Britta were both looking at her, and that the conversation had stopped a minute ago.  
  
"Oh," she said, putting down her now-crushed napkin. "Sorry, my mind was somewhere else. I've got a big thing for Health Sciences today."  
  
Britta nodded sympathetically, and the three women gathered their breakfast trays. "We'd better get to class anyway."  
  
Annie told herself to get her mind focused, and followed her friends to the main building. She assured them that she was going to be just fine, and said goodbye.

***  
On Mondays the study group didn't meet up, so Annie usually spent her extra time in the library studying until four. Then, she would wait outside Troy and Abed's class and they'd all drive home together.

Today, when she arrived at the library, there was a group of teenagers at her usual table, with all their chemistry books spread out. Annie saw they were taking college prep classes, and her stomach clenched. That had been her in high school, so ready to meet her future. Where would she be now if she had followed that path all the way through to the end?

Shaking her head out of the melancholy, Annie set about finding a new spot to read. There were some open chairs in the back, and she settled in to get some serious studying done. She liked to be well-prepared by the time the study group met. After all, someone had to know the material!  
  
Some time later, Annie looked up at the clock, only to be surprised by a tall figure above her.  
  
"Abed! Don't scare me like that!" She scolded him, rising up from her seat. She bent over, stretching her sore back, and swayed her hips back and forth. Her body was more tight than usual. "What time is it, anyway?"  
  
Her friend didn't answer immediately, and Annie glanced at his face. She saw his brown eyes swing away from her cleavage, with a hint of guilt swimming in there, to the watch on his wrist. She remembered the last time she caught him staring, when they were breaking into Jeff's law firm. At the time she wasn't completely sure that he had been staring, but this time she knew. She blushed, trying not to make the moment more awkward by covering up.  
  
"Five," he said at last, his voice steady as usual.  
  
Annie looked around, and realized in her new position she couldn't see the clock like she usually did. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, picking up her backpack. "I lost track of time. Wait, where's Troy?"  
  
"He and Britta are watching a dance exposition tonight. Attendance is required for their class. Why are you over here?"  
  
"Oh," Annie waved her hand. "Those kids are at my table, so I moved." She tried to keep the hint of sadness out of her voice, and was glad that Abed didn't seem to pick up on it.  
  
They walked toward the exit in silence. At the door, Abed said "Wait here,".  
  
He ran back to the librarian, who Annie could vaguely remember from the Valentine's dance.  
  
Abed spoke quickly and quietly to the librarian, who rose to her feet. Striding to the teenagers at the table, she began taking the borrowed books from them. "Out! You four, get out of here, now."  
  
Walking back to Annie, Abed took her arm. "We should probably go now," he said, and led her out to the parking lot.  
  
"Abed," Annie said when they reached her car. "What was that about?"  
  
"Oh, I told her they had asked me how to make a bomb," he replied, shrugging. "She either thinks they're terrorists or racists, but either way, they won't be sitting at your table again.  
  
Annie frowned. "You shouldn't have done that. They didn't do anything wrong."  
  
With another shrug, Abed looked down at his feet. "I don't like seeing you sad."  
  
Before either knew it, Annie was hugging him fiercely.


	3. Zero Tolerance Policy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie and Abed spend some time one on one

The drive home was about fifteen minutes, and Abed filled the time by telling Annie all that he had learned in his classes that day. Annie was amazed at how much he was doing. Film classes asked a lot of their students; they had to create, produce, write, direct, shoot... She didn't know how he kept it all straight.

"You're really dedicated," she told him during a brief pause. "It's pretty inspiring."

Abed looked out the window, a bit touched that someone like Annie admired his academic skills. He was used to being praised for other things, like accurate imitations or building forts. Having no idea how to respond, Abed continued on about the new camera equipment he had borrowed from the video lab.  
The pair made their way up the stairs side by side, and entered their apartment.

"So," Annie said. It wasn't often that it was just her and Abed; the two boys were usually joined at the hip. "What plans do you have for the evening?"

Abed tilted his head. "None really. I have to eat, though."

Annie took this as an invitation to make dinner. She didn't mind; cooking always reminded her of happier times at home, when she and her mom would spend hours in the kitchen.

"What do you want for dinner?" She asked, looking through the cupboards. "We don't really have much. I guess we should have gone to the grocery store this weekend, huh?"

Abed reached past her into the cupboard and grabbed a tin can. His body was close to hers, and she could smell his shampoo. He was standing on his toes to reach the top shelf, stretching his long frame above her. She was always amazed at how tall he was. Annie gulped, trying not to blush. From the next cabinet he pulled out plastic containers of various spices. In a second, there was once again space between them. "Do we have an onion? Garlic?"

"Um, let me check," Annie said. She was all flustered, and had no idea what he was doing. The only foods she had seen him eat called for two ingredients or less (Lucky Charms plus milk, or noodles plus butter). Going to the fridge, Annie found a bulb of garlic and a white onion. "Yeah, I think they're still fresh too."

"Cool. Do you know how to chop them? Like little cubes." Abed held up his fingers to indicate the size.

"Okay," Annie said. She recognized his manner as his Boss Mode from when he was in charge of Dreamatorium Simulations. Usually, it was best not to question him.  
After handing her a cutting board and knife, he filled a pot of water and set it on high. Drumming his fingers on the counter, Abed began to hum. Annie recognized it from that cartoon movie, An American Tail.

"Fievel was Jewish, you know," she said.

Annie didn't really know why she said that. Part of her wanted to show Abed she knew the film he was referencing. It made her feel closer to him, somehow. Usually he and Abed talked about movies and TV shows she'd never heard of, and it made her feel left out. Whenever she actually recognized what they were doing, she got excited and usually embarrassed herself.  
Also, talking to Abed distracted her from the mystery dinner- she was dying of curiosity about what they were making! Still, it was strange of Abed to take such culinary initiative, and she didn't want to scare him off by asking about it. So, apparently, she made random non sequiturs about Jewish mice.

"He was also Russian," Abed replied, staring at the simmering water. "Kind of close to Polish, like my mom. We went to go see it in the theater."

"We did, too," Annie told him with a smile. "Do you speak Polish?"

_"Zrobić myszy, takich jak ser?"_

_"Zay moykhl."_

"Yiddish?"

Annie nodded.

"Cool. Cool cool cool."

She finished the onion with a flourish. "Should I move on to the garlic?"

"If you want," Abed shrugged. He was more than capable of cooking it on his own, but he knew Annie liked being involved in things.  
"Two cloves, chopped real small."

"Like minced?" Annie asked eagerly.

"Yep, minced," he nodded with a half-smile. He used a can opener on the tin can and poured it into a strainer. While he rinsed, the water began to boil. His smile spread wider; he loved it when the timing happened perfectly. Within seconds he had dumped the rinsed contents into the boiling water and began to stir.  
Annie frowned, seeing the can sitting in the sink. She went to rinse it out and recycle it, and stole a glance at the label: chickpeas, it said.

"Falafel!" She yelled excitedly. Spinning around, she saw Abed's grin.

"I knew you'd figure it out," he said.

"Well, it's either that or some really fancy hummus," Annie said, bouncing on her heels. She loved being right. "I didn't know you cooked, Abed!"

With a shrug, Abed returned to stirring the boiling chickpeas. "I kind of did everything at my dad's restaurant," he said. "When it's just us, you have to know how to do it all."

"Did you wait tables too?" Annie asked, trying to picture it.

"That was my usual job. I made it fun by pretending to be different people. Lots of movies have the main character as a waiter. It's actually a pretty common trope, similar to the male lead being an architect."

Annie nodded. "But then sometimes you cooked?"

"At first I helped with the mixing and mashing. It's really fun- we'll get to that part later. Then my dad let me use the knives to chop up the vegetables. By the time I was old enough to go near the fryer, I was able to run the kitchen completely on my own."

Annie's eyes immediately widened, imagining all kinds of dangerous scenarios.

"Don't worry," Abed interrupted her, "Tonight we're just going to fry them in a pan. We don't have a fryer here... yet."

Annie made a strangled squeak. There was no way she was allowing the two boys access to boiling hot oil! She prepared for a long-winded lecture when she felt a hand on her arm.

"That was a joke. Did I forget to inflect?"

She let out a relieved laugh. "What's next?"

"Now we wait an hour for the chickpeas to get all soft," Abed instructed.

"An hour?!" Annie groaned. "Are you serious? Then why did I chop the onion and garlic already?"

Abed looked at her like it was obvious. After all, hadn't she been the one to teach him empathy? Maybe he had done it wrong. Frowning, he tried to use it once again. "Do you have homework to do? We could study at the table. I have some editing to do for my film project."

"That would be great," Annie told him with a smile. She couldn't believe Abed had suggested doing homework! Maybe she was rubbing off on him. Then again, he did take his film classes pretty seriously. Either way, schoolwork made her feel efficient and capable. She loved getting the entire week's work done on a Monday, so that she could revise the next night and work on special projects.

The two set up their study stations at the table and worked diligently for an hour. Annie realized that it was a lot less lonely working with someone else, even if they were silent. Usually when she studied, Troy and Abed were off having some loud crazy adventure, so she stayed in her room. It was nice spreading out on the table, and even nicer being able to sneak glances up at Abed's face in between pages. He was so serious and intent on his film; it was like watching a master at work. She had no idea what he was working on, but she was sure it would be great.

Abed had worried that he wouldn't be able to edit his film with Annie nearby. Her frantic, nervous energy usually took over the study group, sending them all into a flurry of activity, but tonight seemed different. She was calm and comfortable, in a way that made his editing go more smoothly than usual. He always wondered at how she changed when it was just the two of them; and similarly, how it changed him. Abed noticed the way she chewed her lip as she highlighted segments of her book, and found his mind wandering. He remembered thoughts of her mouth from the day before, in the shower, and suddenly studying with Annie was distracting after all.

The alarm for the chickpeas went off, and the two roommates both looked up.

"Saved by the bell," Abed said with a smile.

Annie stood from her seat, stretching her neck. "Good! I'm excited for the next step. I've never seen falafel made before!"

Abed led the way to the kitchen. "While we let the chickpeas cool, it's time to mix the rest of the ingredients. We need a big bowl."

Looking under the counter, Annie took out a glass bowl that she had brought when she moved in. She had been horrified by the lack of cooking equipment the boys had before her- they hadn't even owned a spatula! Abed had already set out the spices needed, along with flour and the ingredients Annie had chopped earlier.

"The next step is pretty easy. We just combine everything in here- then comes the fun part." He carefully measured the spices into the bowl, instructing Annie as he went. She loved how he measured each ingredient perfectly. Annie dropped the onion and garlic into the bowl with the rest, and Abed turned to her, waggling his eyebrows.

"Now, we mash!" Rolling up his sleeves, Abed scooped up the chickpeas and mixed it into the spice and flour mixture.

"Abed!" Annie shrieked. He used all his force to mash the ingredients together, and she couldn't help but notice the muscles on his forearms. He looked gleeful, and she wanted to try. Standing next to him, she put a tentative hand in the bowl. "It's all mushy!"

"Isn't it great?" Abed grinned. He loved this part. "You have to dig really hard, so that it's all evenly mixed. Squish all the chickpeas, it's supposed to be a paste."

"Like this?" Annie bit her lip and tried to use all her strength to mash the ingredients together. Abed loved it when she tried her best at something- it was fun to watch her try so hard, and the look on her face when she got it right was contagious.

Abed stuck his hand in the bowl and nodded. "That's pretty good. Okay, I think we're ready for the balls."

Looking over her shoulder, Annie raised an eyebrow at Abed. "Excuse me?"

"Well, we can't fry them like that," he said, pointing to the bowl. Scooping out a small chunk of the dough, he began to roll it around in his hand. Annie was mesmerized by how fast his long fingers moved; it was like a magician's trick. Next, he placed it on the counter and rolled it quickly back and forth. He patted it once to flatten the bottom, and dropped it onto a plate.

"Voila!" he said, "Ready to fry."

"That was beautiful!" Annie gushed. "You're really good at that."

Abed shrugged. "It's just like that pottery class we took last year." He vividly remembered that class, as well as her final project- a large phallic vase. He had wanted to point it out to her, but Jeff advised him to stay quiet.

Determined to try, Annie grabbed her own handful of dough. She rolled it around in her hand, but it stuck to her palms. "Here, rub some flour on it," Abed advised. He pinched some between his fingers, and rubbed it along her open hand. Her hand was warm and wet from the mixture, and he added a bit more flour just to be sure it was coated well.  
Annie felt her heartbeat pick up at the feeling of his fingers on hers. It felt like a butterfly landing on her skin. Shaking herself into focus, she picked up the lumpy ball again. This time it didn't stick to her hands, and she rolled it into a ball. Frowning, she realized it was still lumpy.

"Put it on the counter next, it's what makes it smooth," Abed suggested.

Annie tried, but the dough remained steadfastly lopsided. She let out a huff of frustration. "It's not working!" She threw it down on the counter.

"I hope that wasn't a masterpiece," Abed said from behind her. She could feel the heat from his body, although they weren't even touching. Reaching around her with his long arms, he picked up the lump and began to roll it between his hands.

He gripped the back of her hand with his, and guided the dough into it. "You have to be firm with it, but not crush it. You're being too soft." Taking her hands between his, Abed guided her hands around the dough.

Concentrating was near impossible, now that he was so close. Annie's breaths were getting shorter, and she couldn't help but be transfixed by the image of his long fingers wrapped around her small pale ones. She flashed back to the night in her room when he was all she could think about, and the intense release she had brought on just by thinking about her roommate.  
Unconsciously, she moved her body slightly backwards until she was brushing up against him. Now she could feel his breath hot on her neck, and she fought the urge to turn around and face him.

Would it really be so bad to make a move on one of her best friends? She felt so close to him, and she knew his lips were perfect for kissing. Besides, cooking with Abed had caused her to be completely turned on in a matter of minutes, and she couldn't stand it.

Closing her eyes, she tilted her heat slightly back, leaning into Abed's strong arms...

_"Oh, my love, my darling..."_

Annie's eyes popped open, and her body froze. Was Abed singing? And was that the Righteous Brothers?

_"I've hungered, hungered for your touch..."_

It was the song from _Ghost_! Hot tears stung the back of her eyes. Here she was, turned on and actually thinking of putting herself out there, and Abed was just reenacting a movie- again! It was the humiliation of paintball all over again.

Annie dropped the dough onto the counter. "You can make the rest without me. I have a lot of homework." Twisting out of Abed's arms, she gathered her textbooks and retreated to her room.

***

Abed was confused. Things had seemed to be going so well between him and Annie. Her moving in had been a great addition to his life, and ever since his dream a few nights ago, he had thought about her a lot more often, with a lot more feelings. Lately, he found himself using any excuse to touch her. Each time he felt her close to him, he felt a little thrill of excitement that was usually absent from his daily life. Their drives to school were a great way to begin his day, and most things were more enjoyable when she was around. Then... the Kitchen Incident happened.

Abed had spent a lot of time running the day over and over again in his mind, analyzing for what went wrong. As far as he could tell, everything was fine until they made the falafel balls. She had looked so cute when she was frustrated, glaring at that little ball of dough like it was a failing grade! How could he not want to put his arms around her? It immediately reminded him of the movie Ghost, so he threw in the "masterpiece" quote to get it out of his system. It helped to remind him that this was real life, and he was not Patrick Swayze to Annie's Demi Moore. He had just resigned himself to that fact when he felt Annie purposefully shift back into his body, her shapely butt pressing against his front. His heart leaped with something like hope, and he let himself believe for a second that he was leading-man material for someone like her.

And just like that, as soon as he let himself believe it, she was gone... like smoke. She said something about homework, but he had seen her nearly finish it all before the timer went off. Why would she lie to him?

The only thing Abed could think of was that he had misread the situation. Maybe her leg was cramping up, and she adjusted to get comfortable. Or maybe his overactive mind had imagined it? It wasn't the first time he had seen reality differently than someone else in the group. Either way, Annie had made it clear that she was not interested in his advances, and he would just have to get used to that.

Which was fine, he told himself. He was much more comfortable as a supporting character in their group's dynamic, where heartbreak and embarrassment were much less likely. So, Abed turned his attention towards not thinking about his friend anymore. Anytime a thought of her blue eyes or bright smile popped into his head, he smashed it back down again. Annie was a friend, and that's all she would ever be. He almost even convinced himself that it was what he wanted.

***

Annie was so angry after Monday night. How could Abed do that to her? And how stupid was she to fall for it? Her cheeks still burnt with embarrassment every time she looked at the kitchen.  
Unfortunately, it was extremely difficult to stay mad at her friend. The next day she found one of her bento boxes filled with falafel and a sticky note reading "Annie's Lunch- Do Not Eat!". Despite herself, Annie grinned. Notes like that were necessary in their apartment if you didn't want your food to disappear into Troy's bottomless stomach.

Honestly, Annie was touched that Abed would do something like that. She thought he'd shrug it off and not think anything of her leaving last night, then eat all the food by himself. She recognized the prepackaged lunch as an offering of sorts. She doubted Abed knew what he had even done- which was the whole problem! Just by being himself, Abed had turned her on to the point of throwing caution out the window, and she nearly made a move on her best friend. How could he not see what he was doing to her? Still, it certainly was progress for him to realize he had angered her- even if he didn't know he had aroused her.

Pretty soon, the roommates fell back into a friendly rhythm, and life went back to normal.

...Well, mostly normal. Annie found herself wanting to touch Abed more and more every day. At night when she couldn't sleep, more often than not her thoughts turned towards her roommate. Those thoughts quickly turned adult in nature, and she was going through batteries at an alarming rate. No matter how much she told herself to stop, she couldn't. It was like her pill addiction all over again. She knew it was wrong to fantasize about her friend, for any number of reasons. And yet, she couldn't help it!

Each time she pleasured herself thinking about Abed, she had to remind herself that fantasy was all it could ever be. He had made it clear to her that anything romantic between them was for the sake of the role play only. His Don Draper act had proven to them all last year that he didn't have any problem getting girls. If he had feelings for Annie, wouldn't she know by now?  
The worst part of it was that Annie was pretty sure her feelings were deeper than sexual. As the days went by, she and Abed became even closer friends. His unconditional support, humor, and love of life inspired her in ways that no one ever had. She comforted herself nightly by throwing herself into her fantasies, giving herself what reality never could.


	4. Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter briefly references S3E09 "In Treatment" when Abed is caught videotaping Annie sleeping without her consent; I tried to resolve some of the moral ambiguity here, but Abed still has trouble when it comes to understanding what part of it Annie objected to.

Abed had a dilemma. His Lighting In Cinematography final was due next week, and he still lacked the footage that he needed. Sure, he could turn it in how it was now, but Abed was a perfectionist when it came to film.

He had nearly captured it when Annie first moved in- the way the light fell in her bedroom went perfectly with her pale skin and dark hair. But when he snuck in to film her waking up, she had gone berserk! The take had been ruined.

That was months ago, and Abed was wary of asking again. Thinking about it, he wondered if the reason she had been so mad was because he was in the room. Maybe if the camera was controlled remotely, she wouldn't feel as upset. He knew she'd probably be angry with him for filming her again, but he had to try! His final project was on the line, and he really wanted it to be perfect.

He had it planned out for Friday night: Annie's favorite hard cider, Ryan Gosling marathon (Notebook for her, Drive for Troy), and popcorn were all set up and ready to go. Hopefully Annie would be so distracted by the alcohol and eye candy that she wouldn't notice Abed hiding a camera in her room.

Abed had seen The Notebook many times already, so his eyes were easily drawn away from the screen and to his beautiful roommate. He knew all her reactions by heart; the moment when Allie and Noah first met, she always clutched her hands to her neck in excitement. He never understood why she hid her tears during the sad parts- especially since Troy openly cried at everything. His hands itched to hold hers in comfort, but he reminded himself what happened the last time they engaged in physical contact, and he held off.

"Thank God that chick flick is over," Troy said, wiping his tears with a manly tissue. "I'm ready for some serious action!" He hopped up and put in Drive.

"I haven't seen this one," Annie said. "Will I like it?"

"Oh yeah," Troy nodded. "Ryan goes to town on all these guys! One dude's head gets totally bashed in!"

Annie wrinkled her nose, so Abed jumped in. "The secretary from Mad Men is in it," he said, trying to inflect enthusiasm. "And the girl from An Education."

"Ooh!" she sighed. "I loved that movie. We should watch it again."

"Uh huh," Troy said absently. "But first, Drive!"

About an hour in to the movie, Abed leaned over to Annie. "This part gets pretty grown-up. You might want to cover your eyes."

"That's okay, I think I'll just go brush my teeth." She got up, and Abed had to keep his eyes glued on the television so he wouldn't stare at her retreating figure.

The minute the bathroom door was shut, Abed raced into action. Quietly treading to Annie's room, he looked over his shoulder to double check that Troy wasn't watching. He knew she kept a stuffed pig on her dresser, which was the perfect camouflage for a tiny camera. Satisfied that it was all correctly in place, Abed returned to his armchair, an innocent expression on his face.

* **

Saturday morning, Annie's alarm clock went off loud and early. She and Britta were going shopping that day, and she had said she wanted time to get coffee beforehand.

A quick shower and she was off, tossing a goodbye to Troy as she left. Funny, she didn't see Abed up yet.

As soon as he heard the front door close, Abed shot out of bed. He wanted to get a start on his final project, and see if his hidden camera work had yielded anything usable.  
Going into her tidy room, Abed pulled the camera out from underneath the pig. It looked untouched, and he was confident Annie hadn't noticed anything suspicious.

Retreating back to the fort, Abed plugged the camera into his computer and uploaded the new video. He was surprised when Annie didn't turn off the lights right away. It wasn't a night vision camera, which was one of the reasons he felt alright about filming her. He wouldn't be able to see anything anyway until she woke up. It made him curious, and so he didn't fast forward to the end like he had planned.

On the screen, Annie leaned over to her nightstand and pulled something from the drawer. Abed couldn't tell what it was, as it quickly disappeared under the covers. Soon, Annie began acting strangely. She was wiggling under the covers like she was trying to get something off her, and her eyes were closed.

Abed's heart raced- it almost looked like she was in pain! What if she was having a seizure? He plugged in his headphones, trying to get any kind of clue to what was happening.

"Unhm," he heard her moan, "Oh..."

Abed's eyes widened as he realized exactly what he was watching. Annie was... touching herself!

Horrified at his obvious invasion of privacy, he tried to unplug the camera. In his haste, he accidentally unplugged his headphones, and the sounds of Annie's pleasure came out his speakers. "Ah- Ah- ABED!"

Giving up, Abed closed the screen to his laptop, effectively shutting it all down.

His mind reeling, he tried to make sense of what he just saw. Running through the facts; late at night, in bed, Annie moaned out his name- Abed! Annie was pleasuring herself while thinking about him!

How was that even possible? He thought she saw him just as a friend- wasn't that why she recoiled from him when he got too close in the kitchen? Frowning, Abed realized that maybe he had misunderstood- which wasn't too surprising. He often got social cues wrong, but he had thought he was pretty good at reading Annie.

Shaking his head, Abed realized it didn't really matter how he had gotten the message wrong. All that mattered was that Annie wanted him. And he certainly wanted her.  
Abed's brain began running scenarios of how to make his move, but he paused. The first and most important thing to do: Burn that recording, because Annie would literally kill him if she ever found out he had taped her!  
***

For the next few days, Abed kept a close eye on Annie, searching for any more proof of her attraction to him. Despite his video footage, he still had trouble believing that she really wanted him. So, he watched, and eventually, her actions seemed to add up. It was subtle, but now that he was looking for it, Abed didn't know how he had ever missed it. Each time he was near her, she seemed to find times to touch him. When the group laughed, it was his eyes she sought.

He ran scenarios through his mind about how he could possibly seduce her. It was frustrating not knowing exactly what she had been fantasizing about in her bed.

He knew how Don Draper would go about it; just go up and lay a kiss on her hard and fast, then leave before she could get her breath back. Han Solo would wait until she was really angry and pissed before making his move. And he had already acted out how Patrick Swayze would get her.  
The trouble was, Anne hadn't said Don, or Patrick, or Han... it was Abed's name she had moaned while touching herself, and that meant it had to be Abed who made the move.

Abed hadn't lied when he told the group in his first year that he had no problem getting women. Unfortunately, his technique was usually to incorporate some other character into his already adorable personality. That, and they usually came on to him first.

Besides, he had never been in this situation where the woman of interest was already his best friend. In fact, before Annie and Troy, he'd never had a best friend. He wasn't really sure what the process was for making a move on a friend. Surely it was different than going up to a girl in the cafeteria and asking her out. Annie was special, which meant his courting of her had to be special. Now he was at a complete loss as to where to begin. How did he let Annie know that he returned her feelings without confessing his spying?

It was Friday night, exactly a week since he had taped Annie's under-the-covers adventure, and Abed was no closer to coming up with a plan.

Troy was talking to him, but like usual, Abed paid no attention. All week he had been consumed with planning, and his friend was beginning to get frustrated.

"Abed!"

"What?" Turning around, he saw Troy's angry expression.

"I just said that the female Inspector was the best one ever, and you didn't say a word. Have you not been listening at all?"

Abed tried to come up with an appropriate apology, but his heart wasn't in it. Instead, he shrugged and went back to ignoring Troy.

His roommate left the apartment in a huff, slamming the door on his way out.

Hearing the noise, Annie came out of her room, eyes wide with concern.

"Abed?" She asked, and he was once again struck by how sweet her voice always sounded. "Is everything okay? I heard Troy shouting."

"Sorry," Abed said quickly. "I hope we didn't interrupt your studying."

Her lips tilted into a smile. "That's really considerate, Abed, but I think I'm done for now anyway. How much studying can I really do on a Friday night?"

"You wanna hang out, then?" Abed asked hopefully. At her nod, he decided to stop planning and just see what happened. After all, he knew she liked him, which opened up a world of possibilities.

He sat down in his recliner, and patted the armrest, silently asking her to sit. Often when the whole gang was over, she liked to perch there while the others sat, and sometimes she'd hold his hand. Now, however, all the other seats were available and Abed waited to see what she would choose.  
Without a question, Annie came and sat next to him, slouching a bit so she was just a few inches taller. She was close enough now that Abed could smell her laundry detergent and shampoo, and the scent that just seemed to be Annie.

He had asked her to sit as a sort of experiment, more proof to add to the "Annie Wants Me" List, but now that she was sitting there, he couldn't help but touch her. His arm wrapped around her back, giving her some support in her slightly precarious position. It only seemed natural that he drape his other arm over her lap, keeping her safe from falling.  
Of course, she had never fallen before in that position, but that didn't mean Abed shouldn't be careful anyway.

"So," Annie said, her voice a bit higher than usual. "What did you want to do tonight?"

Her thigh felt so warm under his palm, and he couldn't help but stroke her back as he thought. His mind raced with everything he wanted to say to such a loaded question, until it seemed easier to just act.  
In one swift motion, he turned Annie sideways and pulled her into his lap. Her legs were now draped over the armrest, her torso twisted to face him. Their noses were only an inch apart, and   
Abed was again struck by how incredibly blue her eyes were. It was true, they were as powerful as the Ark of the Covenant, and there was no way he could tear his gaze away.

Annie's breath hitched and he could feel his own heart beating faster. Before any self-doubt could creep in, Abed brushed his fingers against her lips. They were softer than anything he'd ever felt, and he wanted more than anything to feel his own pressed against them.

It still felt too good to be true, to have the object of his fantasies there in his arms. He had to make sure this was really happening- he had misjudged the signs too many times before.

"Is this okay?" He asked, his voice unfamiliarly rough.

Annie tried to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, she gave a small nod, and bit her bottom lip.

It was too much for him to take, and he captured her mouth with his own. The instant their lips met, a fire started in his blood. His hands found their way to her soft long hair, and he held on for dear life. He could feel himself getting lost in the kiss, their lips moving together as one. Her mouth parted in a little moan, and his tongue leaped at the chance. Her mouth tasted of everything he had dreamed, and more. She was so warm and soft, and he was being consumed by her. His hands resumed their stroking on her back, and she pushed her chest closer into his. Finally, Abed reluctantly broke their kiss to breathe.

"Is this real?" Annie asked, panting. Her eyes were bright, and her cheeks flushed pink.

Abed tore his eyes away from her swollen lips, and raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's not claymation," he joked. Recognizing the line furrowed between her eyes, he hastened to add, "Yes, Annie. It's real."

A wide, glowing smile spread across her face, the kind Abed loved to see and vowed to inspire as often as he could. Then her mouth was on his again, hungry and searching. He could feel the joy in it, and all of her want came pushing through. He idly wondered how he could have missed it before, with how clearly her expressions always showed her heart.

Pulling back from the kiss, she whispered, "Me too. I mean, it's real." She rested her forehead against his, eyes down as she confessed, "Maybe it's the first real thing I've allowed myself. With Troy in high school, I was just trying to feel what a good girl should. I was supposed to dream of being with the star quarterback, right? But I never really thought about whether I actually wanted that."

She raised her eyes to check in with Abed, to make sure he wasn't upset about her bringing up their other roommate. Reassured that he wasn't freaking out, she took a deep breath and prepared to bring up the other member of their group. Still, if she was going to do this, they couldn't have any ghosts lingering between them. "Then with Jeff, it's hard to tell how much of that was real too. I was desperate to make him want me, because if someone like Jeff could love me, that would mean that I had really changed since high school. I wouldn't be 'Annie Adderall' anymore. I got so caught up in that game that I never really considered if I wanted him."

Abed was pretty sure talking about exes was supposed to ruin the mood, but he didn't mind. He had sort of already figured out Annie's feelings for her past infatuations. After all, that was what he was good at- understanding character arcs and motivations. But it felt good to hear that she knew it as well.

Annie's eyes were scanning the room, looking anywhere but at the man on whose lap she was sitting. Had she just screwed up the one thing she really wanted?

Taking pity on her, Abed grasped her fidgeting hands. He waited until her eyes met his before saying "I know, Annie. and I'm not doubting you. I don't think you're some floozy just because you've had feelings for other people."

She let out a nervous laugh at that. Sometimes Abed seemed so clueless that she forgot how much he really saw. "I do, though," she said, looking at him from under her lashes, "I have feelings for you."

"I know," he said, and quirked a smile. He hadn't even been trying to quote Star Wars, but there it was. Maybe there was some Han Solo inside of him that he just couldn't suppress.  
Annie didn't seem to mind, though, as her mouth was once more attached to his. Her hands weren't idle this time, either. She was stroking his chest through his thin t-shirt, and Abed sighed at the sensation. He could feel her pressing against him, and he thought it best if they moved to a bedroom while he was still able to walk.

As he stood up, her petite body slid down his until she was pressed against him, her head tilted back to look into his eyes. Abed let his want shine through, and pressed a kiss to her lips.  
Breaking apart for a second, the pair ran to Annie's bedroom. She closed the door behind them, and returned to Abed's arms. She had so many thoughts racing through her head. She had run through this exact scenario hundreds of times at night, under the covers while touching herself. It was impossible to comprehend that it was really happening, and that all her fantasies were about to come true. Her body tingled with excitement, and she didn't have time to even consider that it wouldn't live up to her imagination.

Abed backed Annie towards the bed, stopping when her knees hit the footboard. She landed gently on the mattress, and he followed her lips until she was lying underneath him, eyes bright with desire. His own gaze was drawn to her chest, rising up and down as if she had been running. The sight of his beautiful roommate spread before him, so obviously attracted to him, had him questioning reality. Was this really happening?

If it was another dream, he didn't want to wake up from it. He kissed his way down her neck until her overflowing breasts were under his mouth. He had never felt skin so soft, and Annie's moans urged him further. He wanted more, and so he unbuttoned her blouse as quickly as he could. At the same time, Annie pushed his cardigan down his shoulders, caressing the strong muscles on his arms and back.

Finished with his task, the soft material fell away and he was left with the sight of Annie, and all her pale skin, interrupted only by her blue satin bra. He brushed his hand across it, feeling the silky fabric raised above a pert nipple. He had never wanted anything so bad, and he met her eyes. He could see her own desire reflected back, and he needed no more encouraging. Reaching behind her and stealing a kiss, his long fingers unhooked the bra in seconds. Flinging the garment aside, he let his eyes take in the masterpiece that was Annie's breasts.  
The image burned into his mind, he pressed a soft kiss upon her milky skin. She felt so good, and the things he was doing to her felt even better. His mouth was warm and firm on her breast, and she pushed up against him, desperate for his lips to find her nipple. When they closed over her, she let out a breathy moan that she had never heard before. Abed moved from one pink tip to the other, until she was dizzy and moaning. He was driving her crazy, and this time she was sure he was aware of it. She could feel the proof against her thigh, where her skirt had ridden up.

Annie had to feel his skin against hers, and pulled up insistently at his t-shirt. Abed took a minute before he realized what she was asking, and then the shirt was gone. His torso immediately pressed against hers, and he let out a sigh at the feel of skin on skin. She was burning him up, and he just wanted to be even closer. Their lips joined and he was completely engulfed by her hot mouth, pressing urgent kisses to her swollen mouth. He had never felt this way just from kissing a woman, and he knew it was because of Annie. Everything was better with her, and he wanted to do nothing else for the rest of his life.

His hands wandered down her side until he found her slim thigh. He stroked it gently, feeling how smooth and soft she was. Laying atop her and supporting his weight on his elbow, Abed raised his hand up her leg to the juncture between her thighs. The moment his palm met her warmth, Annie's eyes slammed shut and a shudder moved through her body. Abed quirked a smile at the effect he had on his roommate, and remembered the look on her face when she had pleasured herself. He wanted to see if he could make her moan his name again.  
He rubbed firmly over her soaked panties, and Annie made a small mewling sound. Pressing his mouth against her neck, he sucked firmly on the flesh there, hard and insistent. He pushed aside her panties and let one finger tease along her slit.

"Ahh," Annie moaned under him. He was teasing her, but it felt so good she didn't mind. Abed smirked and nipped gently at her neck, before plunging his finger inside of her. She was so wet and ready, and Abed felt himself hardening impossibly more at the feel of her against his hand.

Annie's hands stroked down his back, and clutched at his neck, holding him to her and willing him to never leave. She felt as if she was going to explode, and all she could think was that she wanted more of him. "Take off your pants," she breathed huskily. "Please?"

Abed didn't need to be asked twice, and his pants soon joined the rest of their clothes on the floor. Waggling his eyebrows, he unzipped her skirt swiftly. Then using his mouth, he pulled her skirt down her legs slowly. Annie shivered at the scrape of his teeth on her skin and the feel of his hot breath on her legs. Her panties were completely useless by now, and he performed the same disappearing act on them as well. Kissing his way back up her leg, he stopped at the back of her knee to press a gentle kiss.

"You're so beautiful," he said wonderingly. She was spread before him, all her milky skin exposed and flushed with desire. Her long legs were so delicate and perfect, leading up to her slim waist and amazing breasts. Abed was convinced there was no pair more beautiful in the world, and he couldn't believe he was the one gazing at this goddess. Her dark brown hair fell around her head, and he covered her body with his own. Nibbling on her lips, he tried to show her exactly how much he wanted her.

Annie tried her best not to fidget under her friend's gaze. He was looking at her like she was something precious and sexy. She was used to men thinking she was cute or adorable, but the way Abed's eyes moved, she knew there was only one thing on his mind. When he laid atop her, she wrapped her arms around his lean torso, pulling him even closer. He was so warm and firm, and she gasped as she felt his member between her legs. It made her feel incredibly feminine to have the hard length nestled near her own core, and she lifted her hips experimentally.  
As she brushed against him, Abed let out a moan. Nothing had ever felt this good, and he was worried it would be over too soon if she continued. Reaching his hand between them, he gained a little space to recover. Annie sighed at the loss, but soon caught her breath as his fingers found her clit. He rubbed slow circles around it, teasing her, and then pressed more firmly against her sensitive nub.

"Abed!" She gasped, eyes meeting his. He was smiling at her, and she got lost in his warm brown eyes. She knew at that moment that her fantasies were going to become reality, and she felt completely sure and ready for it. She pushed against his shoulders, rolling him over onto his back.

Before she could move, Abed stilled her with a hand on her waist. This had never been part of his fantasy, but it had to be said. "I have condoms in the blanket fort," he said quietly, hoping he hadn't ruined the mood.

Annie smiled at him, glad his mind was in the same place as hers. She bit her lip, then tilted her head towards her nightstand. “I do too.” Sitting up, she slid over to the drawer and made quick work of finding a foil packet. As much as she wanted to appear mature and sexy, she really didn’t feel confident with this part. With her closeted high school boyfriend, it had always been in the dark. Abed took the square from her and laid down on his back next to her. He opened the foil and expertly rolled the condom down his shaft.

Deciding to regain her confidence, Annie straddled his hips. She looked to his eyes once more to make sure, and the desire she found there was more than enough.  
Thrusting herself down on his hard shaft, Annie let out another long moan. She was experienced enough that it wasn't painful exactly, but it still took her a moment to adjust to his size. He brushed his hands up her shoulders and gently cupped her breasts, giving her time to feel him. After a minute, he began to roll his hips up into her, and her head fell back at the feeling.  
Abed missed seeing her beautiful face, so he reached to cup the back of her neck. Pulling her down for a kiss, he thrust upwards into her. She felt so good around his dick, so warm and tight that he couldn't help setting a steady rhythm. They moved together, moaning and gasping at the perfect feel of their bodies joining. It felt right and peaceful and beautiful. He realized it was far better than his fantasies could have ever guessed.

Keeping their centers joined, the pair rolled over so that Abed was covering her once more. Annie looked up into his eyes and a new wave of desire coursed through her. He raised up on his elbows and thrust harder, making Annie's head spin and her pussy clench around him. Abed could feel himself getting closer to finishing, and he moved his hips against hers in circles, insistent and frenzied. Annie's orgasm was just an inch away and she clutched at his chest, completely lost in the sensation. She arched her back, pressing his face to her neck as she came. He followed soon after, and collapsed next to her on the bed. Her body felt warm and exhausted in the most delicious way.

"Abed?" Annie asked, after a minute. He was lying on his back, eyes squeezed shut.

"Shhh," he said, and reached out. Impossibly strong arms pulled her to him until she was pressed fully against his body. His hand stroked her hair, his other clutching her firmly to him.  
Annie smiled. Apparently Abed was a cuddler. She snuggled closer to him and closed her eyes.

"Annie?" he said. She lifted her head, and saw his eyes were finally open and staring at her.

"Yeah?" She asked, stretching against him.

"I think I'm falling in love with you."

She smiled, and pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose.

"I know," she said with a smirk.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this work of mine! Abed and Annie are one of my favorites and I just wanted to add to the community here.


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